In conventional filmmaking etc., to obtain special video effects, scenes have been shot in condition where a shooting speed of a film camera, that is, the number of frames per second has been varied. For example, if a scene is shot at a higher speed than an ordinary one and reproduced at the ordinary speed, images are reproduced slowly. Therefore, fast motion of, for example, a water droplet falling into the water can be observed easily and in detail. If a scene is shot at a lower speed than the ordinary one and reproduced at the ordinary speed, on the other hand, fast motion of reproduced images can be seen. It is thus possible to enhance a sense of speed in a fight scene, a car chase scene, etc., thereby presenting images with an enhanced sense of reality.
Further, in TV program making etc., while an attempt has been made to digitize processing of image picking-up, editing, delivery, etc. of a program, an attempt has been made to digitize processing in film making etc. also as fueled by an increase in image quality and a decrease in costs caused by progress in digital technologies.
It is to be noted that if images are to be picked up using an image pick-up device (video camera) due to digitization of TV program making, filmmaking, etc., an image pick-up device is used which is described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-125210 and supposed to be capable of varying frame rates so that special video effects such as fast reproduction and slow reproduction can be obtained easily. By using this image pick-up device to pick up images at a lower speed than a predetermined frame rate and reproduce them at the predetermined frame rate, fast motion of the reproduced images can be obtained easily. By picking up the images at a higher frame rate and reproducing them at the predetermined frame rate, on the other hand, slow motion of the reproduced images can be obtained easily.
Generally, to pick up images at varied frame rates, an operation for varying a frame rate is carried out so that a person who picks up the images sets it to a frame rate that desired reproduced slow or fast images may be obtained, with those images envisioned in his or her mind. Therefore, if he or she has poor skills, even by varying the frame rate with the desired reproduced slow or fast images envisioned in his mind, those reproduced images may have totally different rates from a desired one, so that he or she must repeat the image picking-up.